can lives. It was heard in their homes, cars, offices, theaters, movies, elevators and countless other places. Music made it’s way everywhere. The songs that were sung defined what every American loved and worked for. It gave people hope and joy, as well as bringing out every other emotion possible. Music was around during the bad times as well as the good. When people were down there were songs they could relate to, and when they were happy there were songs they could sing and dance to (Ennis, 1992). In the 1920’s the first pop music began with the big bands. They were a popular choice for many listeners, but new forms of it were already starting to branch. Swing and Jazz soon became very popular styles of music. They mainly consisted of several trumpets, saxophones, and even stringed instruments. A deeper bass, piano and percussion then supported them. Jazz got it’s influence from African-American folk music, such as ragtime, fife and drum bands, string bands and spirituals. Because of the newness of Jazz music, it exploded though out the United States quickly. Jazz had a huge impact on the people of the early 1900’s. It lessened racism to some degree, and started opening people’s minds to other forms of dancing, which was considered an indecent act among many societies. African-American people gained a little more acceptance through Jazz music with their smooth ability to improve the already great sound of Jazz. Such artists as Joe “King” Oliver and Louis Armstrong were huge and made a big impact on not only Jazz, but also many people living in the U.S. at the time. Through the jazz style, music was beginning to widely influence Americas’ culture (Stuessy, 1990). After World War I was winding down and Jazz was hitting it’s peak, anther new kind of music was once again emerging. Rock ‘n’ Roll emerged from the newly developed Jazz music. In 1955, Rock ‘n’ Rol...
